Wednesday

It looks like we are FINALLY getting our new computer system working properly(crossed fingers). It has been crazy with the hardware people blaming the software people and visa versa. I just do what they tell me and it seems to be working. More than once I have wished we never got this but we had no choice with the old program being discontinued. Electronic medical records are being mandated so I figured we would get the jump on it. I was at Wegmans today and there was a 95 year old man in front of me buying some groceries and a six pack of ale. They actually asked him for proof. He was confused and had trouble finding his drivers license and car keys. I guess they have a 100% proof but that is a bit ridiculous. I thought they were joking but they are dead serious. We are supposed to have a snow storm and everyone is in a panic. I stocked up on things so I am ready. This has been a mild winter so far and I really can't complain.

My Fabulous Ottawa Trip

Just came back from the most amazing trip to Ottawa. I had never been before. I thought it was just a small town in the north of Canada and their national capital. Boy was I surprised. Its a beautiful upscale city with lots of fun things to do and beautiful architecture. We saw Winterlude which is a winter festival with incredible ice sculpture and a long skating rink. It was unseasonably warm (30) its usually much colder. having forgot my hat and neglecting to bring my battery recharger for my camera I got 3 pics before it died. I took a few with my cell phone though. My gf daughter goes to school there and was the perfect hostess, showing us all the sights and local eateries. I had a "beaver tail" which I was wondering how they get enough beavers to have tails to eat but when I discovered it was a pastry I "got it". It was very tasty and comes in numerous flavours (Canadian spelling). I had cinnamon and sugar with lemon juice yummmm. Our hotel was very nice and we had a room overlooking the parliament which is a historic complex of exceptional architecture. Stone buildings with green copper roofs. We took a tour of the main building and the view (360 degrees) from the tower was breathtaking. There is so much to do there but we only had 1 day so a return trip is definitely in the offing. We drove up in her daughters new car and took the bus back. I had major trepidations about taking the bus but it actually was fun. They roll out as many buses as needed for the trip to Toronto. You just get on line and wait your turn. It was an old bus and noisy but that added to the charm. It sure was fun trying to pee when the bus was bouncing along. We took this odd route and I thought for a bit we might be on the wrong bus. it was a very scenic ride and we stopped at the rest station and hordes of people descending on the snack area I got an apple and gf got a coffee. The bus then got on the 401 highway and moved quickly to Toronto with a quick stop in Scarborough(an eastern suburb). The Toronto station look like it was built for a town of 100,000 not a city of 4+ million. There were people everywhere on long lines and security moving them around so they didn't get run over. We arrived early so and were able to get on line for an earlier bus to St Catharines. I expected a real junker bus considering what we had just been on for a major route. I was pleasantly surprised when this bus pulled in that looked like something from the future. Dark blue with tinted windows ultra modern seats plugs for computer in each seat. It must have been a new transcontinental bus. The seats were super comfortable and it was very quiet. It was a pleasure not having to fight Toronto traffic (as they say "leave the driving to us in a Greyhound Bus"). When we got to St Catharines we grabbed a cab and it was back home.

Its February

February is here. Only 3 more months of winter to go :). We have finally gotten our new computer system working. It seems we can't use the server as a terminal. After 6 weeks, frayed tempers, untold aggravation we finally figured it out. We had no choice because the old system will no longer be supported after this year and EMR(electronic medical records) is the way of the future. I am needed at work to keep things running which is a nice feeling. I saw Avatar on Friday in 3D and along with LOTR and Dark Knight the most spectacular movie I have ever seen. The battle scenes are reminiscent of LOTR. Incredibly well done story and special effects. It is now the highest grossing movie of all time and deservedly so IMO. 2 sequels planned. I am still on Dr Who kick and I have been catching up on my old episodes on DVD. Still archiving music . Did a bunch of Latin music on CD and Emusic. Now that I have a Latin GF I need to educate myself as to all the different styles and there are many: Bachata, Balada, Cuban Big Band, Bossa Nova, Cumbia, Latin Folk, Mambo, Merengue, Norteño, Nueva Trova, Latin Pop, Reggaeton, Salsa, Tejana, Vallenado. Who would think at 60 I would finally find such a wonderful GF. I knew if I wished and wished and lived my life right it would come to me if I was deserving and I guess I have been. I thought about what the perfect GF would be like and she is all that and more. It seems everyone that came before was a trial run.

Ramblin on and on

It was so nice to see Sarah and Simon and Rachel on their recently concluded visit(Rebecca and Colin too). I so enjoy having family around. Our new computer system is proving to be much more difficult to implement than I imagined but we are keeping at it. All the suppliers blame each other for the issues so we need to tackle one at a time. We are making slow progress but it seems like 1 step forward and a mile back. If only the sales people were as competent as the IT and support. We have a 1 year money back guarantee on the software so if things become intractable I can always dump it and try a different package. The employees are getting a bit frazzled its a much more complicated system with billing, GL and inventory all integrated. We are halfway through winter and its been a mild one so far. I wrapped my new bushes when I saw the rabbits beginning to feast on them. I got 3 yards of burlap for each one. They were bigger than I thought. The tree trimmers damaged my roof when I had them trim the tree so it wouldn't damage my roof. They were very careless and dropped branches everywhere and damaged the trim and it looks like nothing will be done until warmer weather but I haven't paid them and won't until the roof undergoes a forensic examination. The roofer seems very knowledgeable and I wish I had him do the original roof. There are so many hacks out there. There is something to be said for a new well insulated well built house. The siding, blown in insulation and new windows have made a quantum improvement in the look and warmth of my house. The kitchen is next. I always think how much fun this will be until I start it and its a nightmare filled with no show contractors and things I should have thought of before they started. You would think that with this slow economy they would be more anxious for work.

May 12, 2009

I forgot I had this blog. I am getting estimates on siding my house. What a pain!!! Everyone of course is the best and its like ordering from a Chinese restaurant with windows from this column, siding from another, gutters from a third, storm windows from a another, shutters and storm door. If I was staying here forever it would be one thing but with the onerous NY State taxes I will be forced to relocate when I retire in a few years. I was just going to paint it, I would save a lot but in 3-5 years it will need painting again. Things are going ok at work considering the economy is in the tank. We just had our annual trunk show and I am still recovering from it. It seems I learn something new every year how to improve it even though we have been doing it for 10+ years. My60th birthday is rapdly approaching I guess I should be happy I lived this long.

Fall is here

Its in the low 40's and my house is soooo cold!!! I forgot how much I disliked the cold weather. I enjoyed my visit with my family in North Carolina last month. It really put things in perspective when you have seen all my nieces and nephews grow up and have their own kids (who are all precious) It reminds me that I am in the Autumn of my years and I cherish all these times because we never know how many more we will have. As my father used to say we all grow apart as we get older because we have our own families and interests. He had a lot of saying which I remember on a daily basis. I didn't always listen to him but now I see how true they really are. I have to do a little house painting this weekend and my daily walk to keep off that 50lbs I have lost since Sarah's wedding.